Bill Aims To Help Mentally Ill In Jail

WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill Wednesday sponsored by Virginia Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, that would authorize new grants to treat the mentally ill.

The bipartisan measure, passed on an unrecorded voice vote with no opposition, would authorize $35 million a year in new money to help the mentally ill, many of whom reside in the nation's prisons and jails. The money would be used to help states and law enforcement agencies better identify those who suffer from mental illness and improve their treatment.

Scott, a Newport News Democrat, said the additional grant programs are needed as more and more mentally ill residents spend time in prison and the number of psychiatric hospital beds declines. "Our criminal justice system is serving as the primary care giver for mentally ill individuals," Scott said.

While Scott's measure authorizes new grant programs, any funding for the grants must still be approved in upcoming appropriations bills. The bill had 13 co-sponsors, including two Virginians: Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake, and Rep. Thelma Drake, R-Norfolk.

The problem of mental illness took center stage in Virginia last year, when a student at Virginia Tech gunned down 32 students and faculty before killing himself.

Scott also won House passage Wednesday of another bipartisan measure reauthorizing a program that requires states to report any deaths of individuals who are in custody. Scott said federal statistics show a significant decline in the death rate in the nation's prisons and jails since stricter oversight and better reporting were put in place. The bill, co-sponsored by Forbes, won approval on a voice vote.